Hello! How are you?
When I started writing this blog post, I was sitting at the Baltimore airport, catching up on emails before flying back to Denver. I was in Maryland last week, building brand relationships, eating all the things, and connecting with humble, hardworking, and passionate humans at Expo East. This trip — much like the year prior — was unforgettable. It validated that working in the natural products, health blogging, and wellness space is where I’m meant to be.
If you’re new around here, welcome. For a bit of context, I haven’t always worked in health and wellness. Post-college, I followed the path of my fellow millennials and spent my early professional years in tech. While I learned more than I bargained for, the tech startup world wasn’t the right fit. So, I diverted. And about a year ago, I said sayonara to the comfort and stability of my old job. Intuition in check, I took a leap of faith and put my health coaching credentials to use. Since then, it’s been a wild and unpredictable ride. But as with anything in life, there’s no looking back. I’ve grown quite passionate about holistic health — and for that matter, about the natural products industry. I’m convinced that some of the most engaged brands (those committed to social change, sustainability, etc.) are in this industry. In the same vein, there’s no shortage of passionate, revolutionary humans contributing to it. Needless to say, spending the last few days with like-minded people has me feeling more fulfilled and motivated than ever before.
Totally unrelated to Expo East, I figured I would drop some photos + sentiments about my recent trip to Hawaii. At the end of August, I flew to the Big Island to spend a few days with my grandmother for her 84th birthday. It was a girls’ trip — my mom, aunts, cousins, and sister in tow. I took a break from social media and spent time truly being present. It was wonderful. And I realized that the more days I spend off of social media, the less I miss it.
P.S. If you feel the need to constantly be on Instagram, Facebook, etc., I highly recommend deleting those apps and initiating a spontaneous social media detox. You can do it! Try half a day to start. As with any type of detox, you’ll likely feel withdrawal symptoms. That is normal. But those feelings should pass. Social media is addictive — it’s designed that way. So, don’t beat yourself up if you feel anxious without it. Turn on some music, drink something non-caffeinated, and get ready for ultimate productivity.
The Big Island has a very special place in my heart. In part due to it being home away from home, every trip to Hawaii is sentimental and filled with a lot of gratitude. This time around, in between answering emails + studying, we lounged at the beach and relaxed. However, we did carve out time to head up to the Waimea farmer’s market and explore Hawi. Hawi is home to phenomenal, decadent fudge (Upstairs At The Mill) and a delicious organic + veggie + all gluten-free restaurant (Sweet Potato Kitchen). A few other favorites on the Big Island include Merriman’s, Kohala Divers, Juice 101, Waipi’o Valley, and Blue Hawaiian Helicopters.
Have a great week. 🙂
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